Ostend: from Belle Époque to modernism

Where has the old Ostend gone?

It's still there! But not (or hardly) on the dike. This walk takes you inland, to neighborhoods where the "queen of seaside resorts" has stood the test of time better.

Lovers of architecture and history will especially get their money's worth. We have limited the 'sights' to one or two examples per street, but if you keep your eyes peeled, you will discover countless gems that are not discussed here. For more information about these buildings, we would like to refer to the excellent site of Heritage Flanders.

The walk starts at the Royal Galleries, an iconic place that is in urgent need of renovation if Ostend does not want to completely lose its face as a city of culture. It ends at Villa Maritza, a little further on in the direction of Casino/Kursaal. You can see it as a circular walk and pick it up in any other place, but if you take the walk as it was conceived, you will see the most beautiful perspectives and also get the clearest view of the history of Ostend in the Belle Époque and the interwar period.

• https://www.onroerenderfgoed.be/
• https://archief.oostende.be/